Portfolios >>
Men Women
Film

Tuesday 31 July 2012

Retouching, reshaping .. making good.


Not every image comes straight out of the camera just how we want it, retouching, reshaping .. making good is the last step.

Making good pictures is a numbers game, young photographers generally snap more while the more experienced approach with their own style, knowing what has worked before.


Personally I am not about making heaps of files without a design process, going from one shot to another for me is either a process of evolving the look or looking for a new look to compliment what has already been made. 

Simply speaking my way is "Shoot review shoot review" but don't dwell on the review bit ok.

This being said there are times when for one reason or another the only salvation is going to be some time in Photoshop.

The eye is driven to distraction, the first thing once I have a good base image is to look for the chids, yep that's my name for the adjustment layer working out distractions.

Next up retouching I am looking to clean up, enhance tones. This has to be done with some caution, enhancing is my way rather than wholesale change on an industrial scale. All retouching is kept to its own adjustment layer too.

Reshaping, this is where a slight tweak will make the image stronger, last week I modified a jacket shot on a client, we didn't have the perfect fit so out of camera it was fixed. There are no rules here, just deliver what the client wants.

Photoshop adjustment layers, use them if you are not doing so already.

Monday 30 July 2012

“Why I Won’t Shoot for Free”…Fashion Photographer Benjamin Kanarek

“Why I Won’t Shoot for Free” a post by Fashion photographer Benjamin Kanarek.

"I wanted to share my RANT with you via this incredible Video with Author Harlan Ellison.  One of the Sci-Fi Greats.



He mirrors my sentiments perfectly.  The only difference is I would swear a lot MORE!!!
I think I have paid my dues.  Don’t insult my intelligence and ask me to do a job for free!
Are you listening?"


I thought to share this post of Benjamin's after receiving just such a request yesterday, then thinking back to the media company that asked to use my Manchester Riot material for free. Hello do you know much danger I was in to get that material.

Coming from a finance background maybe I understand more than most there is no such thing as free, everything carries a cost, depreciation, overheads, direct costs, indirect costs it goes on and on.

Pro gear costs, big time.

"Shoot for free"  can I pass.


Saturday 28 July 2012

Dancers Portfolio shoot.

Dancers portfolio shoot, getting noticed.

A high quality feel and look is important it should be designed and presented well.

The look right now is well light and a clean style, retouching subtle with a push towards fashion.






Thursday 26 July 2012

Grey Card, if in doubt create a custom white balance.

Grey Card, if you are in doubt about what colour the light source is, I recommend creating a custom white balance by taking a sample shot.

Jason Harry Grey CardFor those people new to photography from time to time you will create great pictures, but for some reason the colours look, funky.

Without going into the detail this can easily be corrected using a grey card.

Assuming your camera has the custom white balance function, all you need do is create a file of the grey or white card. Next step is to set up the custom white balance using this file.

The camera will look at the reference file and removing any colour cast from images using this profile when you camera has been set to this custom white balance.

Creating the sample file and setting up the custom white balance profile takes in total less than 30 seconds.

One last note, this profile will work only in the light your made the file in, if the light source or environment changes you will need to make a new file

There is another option, to sample from a neutral object in post production if you have this in your picture, that choice is upto you.

Professionals leave nothing to chance, I prefer to have a good starting point every time.


Wednesday 25 July 2012

Burst shooting and multiple exposures mode.

Burst shooting and mulltiple exposure mode, lets talk about exploring image dynamics.

This option of shooting is about shooting multiple single images rather than discussing HDR.

This mode is where I go looking for a choice of looks, I am thinking what is the light giving me right now.

Is the light good with lots of options, poor, strong and harsh, where can I go creatively.

Using one of the latest pro camera's either the Canon 1DX or the cheaper 5d mk2 gives you greater creative freedom in low light, so this option cam be more of a deal in the newer pro cameras.

My three shot burst give me generally an under and over exposure image in addition to a default look to consider what happens next. These images I either quickly compare setting up a shoot or later deciding where the final look could go.

Most cameras now allow burst shooting in a multiple exposures mode.

Monday 23 July 2012

Photographers three phases of development.

While learning and refining their skills I believe that most photographers progress through three distinct phases in their development.

Jason Harry


Phase One occurs immediately after they purchase their first “good” camera and discover photography’s potential for fun and creativity. During this time, young shooters are fearless and enthusiastically explore their world. Each and every memory card is chock full of files that contains images that look so much better than they could have ever imagined. Unfortunately, this blissful period doesn’t last long and is quickly replaced by the next phase.

During Phase two, the photographer’s level of enthusiasm is still high but is somewhat diminished when reviewing their latest images only to discover that these new photographs are much worse than they had expected. Unfortunately, this phase can last a long time but the shooter continues to improve their skills by reading publications like Shutterbug and blogs like Photofocus, workshops offer you access to real professionals to shortcut and reduce the pain of this phase and eventually onto the third and final phase.

During Phase three the images the photographer sees in their viewfinder and what they actually capture are exactly what they expected. There are no surprises. It’s just as good or bad as they expected when they pressed the shutter button. While reaching this phase can be fulfilling, some of the magic is understandably lost. The upside is that fewer images are made because there’s no “shoot and hope for the best.” The biggest challenge occurring at this phase is that a photographer can end up shooting the same images over and over for years and years. So it’s up to you to break free from your comfort zone and do something to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Read my post visual pushups, get working with people at the next level, be inspired by the players more advanced, give yourself a five year plan, work your arse off.

Keep a folder of your fav images, the top 30 from the last 6 months, take time to look back and see your progress.

Remember the three phases of development.

Friday 20 July 2012

Working close, controlling the light.

Some photographers prefer to work long, shooting with a 70-200 lens which for a full length shot means you need a long studio space, probably no less than 10-12 metres.

My preference is always working close keeping any artificial light tight to the subject. Controlling the light, lighting the subject with an equal emphasis controlling the spill of the light, the light you don't need or want in the picture.

Most lighting kits as sold do not help you do this.

Having a preference to how you go about your work means you get consistent looks, another benefit of working close is being able to work closely with the client.

Working close, control the light.

A little something to start the weekend.



From Two Unlimited - No Limit -

The look of this video as you would expect is dated, what I still very much like is how the cameras are kept moving where the option would be to cut and move to another angle from another camera.

No doubt this kept the shooting time and edit time down.

I remember lovin this back in the day, enjoy your weekend.

Thursday 19 July 2012

Anna-Mi Fredriksson performs at SHUNT, London.



These two dance videos are from 2010, they were previously hosted on my own web site, I finally transferred them to YouTube this week.

Anna-Mi Fredriksson  an ex dancer for the English National Ballet.

Anna opened the evening at SHUNT with the top performance.

We had time before the night got underway to do a lighting run through. This was to get the setup both lighting and camera locked down. A few adjustments to the original back light setup and all was good to go. Happy days.

The material falling from the ceiling is salt.

Now despite good plans and arriving early I only got chance to see this location  just before the venue opened, this setup was untested, it simply had to work, under pressure, only one run to go at, nothing new there.

Different light situations bring different challenges, low light can spell disaster for older or lower spec video equipment.

Canon 5D easily coping with this situation.

Anna's closing performance (short edit) is below.



Wednesday 18 July 2012

Its my birthday.




You have a good day too !

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Workshop HD DSLR

Today's Workshop HD DSLR, "How to".

This workshops is at intro level which is grouped under my "How to" series.

Opening as always I like to gather from attendees what brought them to me, i.e. what do you need to learn today so you can go away and do this topic... better.

There is a common theme got the gear, need to know how do perform a specific task or use x function. 

All workshops have an outline for each day, throughout the day we work into the schedule the attendees own specific training requirements where possible.

So how do I  structure the days learning? Lets work through the basics of operation of x y and z with some background discussions, mix in some practical putting the new knowledge into practice

Throughout the day we review the output from the practical sessions. Then go again to reinforce what we have done.

My workshops offer all my skills sets  "How to" basic/ intro, "Advance your skills" more advanced and specifically commercially orientated and finally "Bespoke" which is anything you want to learn.

All of my workshops can be arranged for group or on a 1 to 1 basis.




Monday 16 July 2012

Light it shoot it retouch it, the three steps in modern photography.

Light it shoot it retouch it, the three steps in modern photography.

In today's productions the last stage can take something quite ordinary to amazing.

The retouch process allows you to be picking about the angle of this or that, I suggest a watch of The September Issue a great documentary about the production and behind the scenes of making the annual big issue of Vogue, The September Issue.

The relationships and dedication in the Vogue team to producing amazing imagery is an insight worth watching.

The relevant section in the film to this blog being the discussions about the front cover between Mario Testino and Vogue people.

This is not to say the work gone into shooting isn't great to need retouching. There is a place for the re-toucher and that is in the ability to create tweak and delivery on the creative vision of the photographer or client.

The perfect image, maybe.


Forget the phrase post production, it's retouching done in Photoshop that simple, there are huge skills in that area.

Forget blur for skin enhancing and now think cleaning up at pixel level
 
I have heard in the past photographers say oh my images are all in camera and it just wasn't true, there is only so much drama you can create between ISO, shutter speed and DoF.

So how much time does it take to produce the cover of Vogue, in terms of time resources something like two days retouching by one or more re-touchers and a final bill of around $10,000.

Light it shoot it retouch it.


Naomi Campbell The supermodel shines.

There is only one Naomi Campbell! The supermodel shines in Ellen von Unwerth‘s vibrant shots for Schön Magazine‘s 18th issue. Sporting candy colored hair and a series of over the top costumes selected by Brett Bailey.

Naomi unleashes her inner showgirl and looks resplendent doing so; take an exclusive first look at the glitz, glamour and those oh so revealing costumes!











Sunday 15 July 2012

fashiongonerogue for fashion and related news.








Fashiongonerogue a web resource for those wanting to keep track of fashions's big brands, high profile models and the worlds top photographers.
                                                                                                          
                                                                       Black and White by Karl

Set out in a similar layout to models.com it features exclusives in a blog style, content is easily searchable.

I like the way you see more images less text on this site.

For those wanting to see the style of work being produced right now this is one of my go to sites.

Content is searchable by talent or in the following topics Digest, Campaigns, Collections, Covers, Editorials, Exclusives, Models and Videos is one I rather like.

Worth a look, modern clean design  http://fashiongonerogue.com/

                                                                      

Saturday 14 July 2012

Primark profits on the way up, but...

Primark profits on the way up, by a recession beating 16% but... many charity shops refuse to take items from Primark because the quality of the garments isn't high enough.

Is cheap nasty?

Well no, but if poorly made clothes, that only get worn once or twice are you thing then there is a place.

Is fast shopping as bad for you as fast food? The occasional cheap shop like fast food won't do you any harm but if you only eat burgers and that becomes your diet then you will have some serious health issues.

There are those that invest time and money to establish their brand, then there are those that, simply copy.

The same applies to most services and products, long live originators and innovators.


Friday 13 July 2012

Canon Professional Network CPN, a resource created for Canon users.


The Canon Professional Network is a resource create by Canon for Canon users "the website that provides a regularly refreshed mixture of inspiration, education, product information and news updates to deliver the definitive coverage for Canon professional photographers and videographers, as well as advanced enthusiasts, around the world."

In the CPN News section you can search and find out the latest news

The Product section has the definitive guides to Canon’s range of professional imaging equipment

The Education section includes Technical articles about the latest products and technologies plus regular blogs from Canon photographers and filmmakers who are shooting with Canon cameras, lenses and accessories.

CPN’s Inspiration section features exclusive written and filmed interviews featuring the world’s best Canon photographers and leading figures from the world of imaging; blogs, interviews and films about Canon’s ambassadors and a gallery that features the work of some of the world’s best Canon photographers.


I have been a CPN member for a number of years now, when an email comes through I am always keen to read more, the updates are relevant, well informed and high quality.

Initially to join the requirement was 2 pro bodies and 3 pro lens, this may of changed.

The more support you have the better you can become.

Photographing people capturing the moment,

 
Capturing the moment, it will help change the look and feel of the images your making.

For the model being able to turn the skill of mood and character on and off when needed is a huge plus.



When shooting an event capturing moments as they happen is priceless, the actions and reactions.

Have fun, capturing the moment.


Thursday 12 July 2012

TIP of the day :Canon 5d MKII ISO selection, (for the photographer)

TIP of the day Canon 5d MKII ISO selection.

While shooting you will want to shoot at multiples of ISO 160 (only available if Highlight Tone Priority is disabled) or the closest available number (as 1250 is not a multiple of 160, but the closest there is to 1280). 

I recommend this is because the 5D mk II uses digital noise to step between ISO’s. 

Technically, the camera is native on the ISO’s that are multiples of 100.  For the ISO’s in-between, the camera digitally pushes or pulls one of these native ISO’s. 

For instance, ISO 125 is really ISO 100 with a digital exposure push, and ISO 160 is really ISO 200 with a digital exposure pull.  As a result, 160 and its multiples look the "cleanest" because its really a native ISO rating with the exposure pulled down, which hides more of the digital noise.

Give this a try.

Shooting for "the" agency, creating their look.

Shooting for "the" agency, it's about creating their look it's that easy.

Pick your to work with shortlist carefully, choose who you wish to work for i.e.the best or the one that suits your own style, be careful about working with their competition.



I have no problem working with anyone, just saying.

Each talent agency has their own style their own foot print, some are more simplistic than others, generally less is more applies.

In pre shoot meetings "the" agency will often show you examples of photographers work they are liking right now.

Being in front of them you will of already done the research on what their current look is, you may be in front of them to help advance and take forward to a new style so ask about this.

My thoughts on this applies not only to the photographer but some to new faces.

So ...produce work that applies to them, pick the best team to work with you.

The weakest link rule... applies.

Good luck.

Vogue Cover model photographed.


















Vogue Cover model photographed in London last month.

The ascent of some models is rather like flicking on a switch and watch them go.
 
Discovered at an event, on the tube, walking down the street or by just walking out of a shop in front a scout, booker or the agency owner.

The bookers know the look their own clients are after, even they get surprised how some take off instantly.

Agency's receive simply heaps of emails everyday from hopeful models, one agency booker told me they get on average 20 people a day and there are only so many models an agency can represent well.

This guy is one of the ascending models, gracing catwalks London - Paris - Milan, Vogue, big brand advertising.



Photographer Training : Workshop thoughts

This week I ran a lighting workshop for a group of photographers it was a blast,I just want to post a few thoughts.

For your own sanity go spend time with a working professional to progress if you want to save yourself heartache and misadventure, save yourself the stress, go speed learning.

Learning this way will progress you more than you ever thought possible in a short time.

My advice 101 point 1
Get to understand the camera and the custom functions, at the very least work through the manual, I know they are not the best written and can be confusing. 

Find out what this and that function does, make time to experiment.


Wednesday 11 July 2012

Guest Bloggers, coming soon to the Jason Harry Blog..






Guest Bloggers, coming soon to the Jason Harry Blog.


Drawing on their own experiences the guest bloggers will sharing with us their reflective thoughts on breaking out, making a success of their own career.


The first entry like I said is coming soon.

 

Tuesday 10 July 2012

BOSS dance division launched, second auditions to be held in Manchester late July.



BOSS dance has launched, second auditions to be held in Manchester late July.
 
It was no minor undertaking working with so many dancers in a short time but a joy to see the end result.
 

If you are a dancer and interested being represented by BOSS send an email to lucy@bossdance.co.uk visit www.bossdance.co.uk to see whats going on.




More about BOSS
: "Founded by Debra Burns in November 1988, Boss Model Management has pioneered the management and marketing of home grown talent to a worldwide audience.

Over more than 2 decades we have evolved to become one of the most active and respected Model Agencies in the UK. Boss Models is well known in the great fashion capitals of the world, and we continue to source, develop and select the finest models."

BOSS are a great bunch of people, great vibe, absolute professionals.

Monday 9 July 2012

Trial and ERROR, advice for photographers to help succeed more.


Trial and ERROR, advice for photographers note I did not say trial and succeed.



Make your mistakes early in your career, get them out of the way, don't go back there.

Running a busy studio I made time for team training days where we could all get together to chat about what we as individuals were doing and also do some "stuff" together.

Team members skills progressed differently so this was the time set aside to stop, regroup and share some of the knowledge or try just new "stuff".

Trial and ERROR, share the knowledge succeed more.


Cheryl Cole latest dance video shot, with



Cheryl Cole's latest dance video shot including a dancer with a familiar face.

Looking forward to watching the video when its released.

I am making more images for this dancers portfolio soon.

The next session it is planned to shoot more high fashion looks. 
















Have a good day!

Photographing Dancers, getting the shot.

Photographing dancers requires a sharp eye and often quick reflexes.

This was the third attempt to get this shot.

Generally I will try a number of shots but stop before the dancer tires, angles are critical and dancers are on the ball with the look they are after.

The first two attempts with this photograph were binned as Jordan in the blue was being thrown away rather than up.

Giving the guys this feed back I asked for Jordan to be thrown up more, this created an image with more height and less rotating energy, this is always for me going to be easier to make this picture.

This image is tighter than the previous two attempts and Jordan was higher too, the guys were well chuffed.




Saturday 7 July 2012

So You think you can dance Season 2 Lee B.

So You think you can dance Season 2 Lee B I photographed in London.

We worked together on new images for his portfolio on a sunny day, we had a few of them earlier this year before Britain became the rain capital of the world it seems.

The material we made is being used by his agency and for an update on his own website.

Lee was a semi-finalist in "So You think you can dance Season 2" that ran in 2011.

"Famously known for his Leggings and Eyeliner each week, Lee whipped his curly mane & brought his creative edge to the world of dance."

I must say he was a joy to work with, we had a blast.

Lee is away working in Singapore right now, he has booked in for another shoot in August when he gets home. This time he wants me to make a video and some more photographs.


Below is a video of Lee in action from "So You think you can dance" Season 2.


"Rock on".

Friday 6 July 2012

HDR Photography, what is it about.

HDR photography, what is it about, well all I can say is that if done wrong it is simply ghastly.

High dynamic range, which if pushed foo far  looks unnatural

Photoshop can do the process for you but this is where the look can be a little strange.

So what alternatives and why consider HDR anyway.

I sometimes shoot in bracket mode, the function can easily be set up in either M mode or AV mode with most DSLR's.

This setup is what I will use for street photography combined with a fast shutter speed.

When I get back in I choose the image that has the best starting point taking into consideration areas of the other two images I think work well too.

If I come across a problem where the base image could not be pushed into the final look then a partial image overlay is an option.

The reality of shooting and using RAW files means is this is very rare, more likely in low light high ISO situations.

For those who want to explore a partial image overlay, this is how I would approach the task.

With the original image open bring the new image in (Photoshop) to the same file on its own layer, working with a layer mask set to hide the new layer, then with a low opacity brush, gently bring in the detail you want.

Hope you find this useful.



Joe McNally The Moment it Clicks. photography book


Joe McNally The Moment it clicks.  photography book is a must read.

If you are after just one book to keep with you to help make sense of how to approach making great pictures, this is it.

This book is a great insight to the mind of his experiences as a pro shooter, his decision processes and honesty about how some of his images happened.

Preparation and attitude are everything, being open to go with you heart sometimes, knowing when to let go of the pre made plans to go for something better, and some of his mistakes.




Thursday 5 July 2012

Canon Speedlite 580EX maximise its potential

Canon Speedlite 580EX maximise its potential by getting it off the camera.

Now I will admit at one time to of had an abundance of these small strobes, at one point 5.

They retail right now for around £350 and with the latest 600RT model at nearly £700 that is serious investment.

Now here's something for you, Michael Bass Designs < it's in the title.

He is my custom electroincs guy, located in America. He kindly modifys all sorts of leads and other "Stuff" to enable my kit to do what I want it to do.

Some of the solutions offered by Canon could of been better like for example the off camera cord which is approx 30cm would actually be better longer.

Michael kindly modifies them for me, making them extendable by attaching mini din cables and making me up extra sections in 5m lengths. See below


Michael Bass DesignsMichael Bass Designs

I prefer this modified cord option, another options is maybe using the ST-E2  controller.

However, where there is strong day light outdoors or when the flash needs to be behind camera, the ST-E2 would struggle.

Michael Bass Designs gets the thumbs up for me, his solutions work. 

A lot of the world's top pro photographers use him, he is highly recommended.

Beginner's Guide to Photography buying the right DSLR.

As a Beginner's Guide to Photography buying the right DSLR is a question I get asked frequently, so for those people....

Priority in choosing your new camera
1) How does it feel in your hand (size / weight / ergonomics).
2) How much can you afford vs how much does it cost
3) What do you shoot, hence, what lenses will you use with it?
4) Will you be a casual low volume shooter or like a pro heavy use or extreme conditions.

My first serious expenditure was based on the above decision process, I wanted to know how durable the body was and whether the model was new technology.

My money is always invested in pro quality and the latest photography equipment.

I sold my first body a few years on with 280,000 actuations, it never failed me once. Thanks Canon.

Chevron GR8 at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012.

Chevron GR8 GT3 at Goodwood Festival of Speed proved to be a formidable car, in fact unbeatable.

Invited to attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend (28 June – 01 July), where the car competed up the hill against other iconic and highly regarded marques.

‘Young Gun’ Jordan Witt and former BTCC and Le Mans star Anthony Reid were in action on the hill at Goodwood last weekend.

The image below is of both the GT3 (before the rear window was revised) and GTC spec car out testing at Oulton Park a few months ago.




Driving the Chevron GT3 was Jordan Witt and Anthony Reid who currently compete for Chevron, as a pairing in the British GT Championship.

Worthy of note Jordan Witt recently took pole and won all three races at the Brands Hatch GT Cup meeting (on 16 – 17 June), this was his first visit at the Goodwood Festival of speed.

Below is my video for Chevron where you can see both Jordan and Anthony changing at Silverstone last year.

The video was shot in one take, sit back and enjoy.


HD DSLR Video Revolution

HD DLSR Revolution is here, and has been for a few years already.

If this is news for you then this will get you up to speed on what's happening.

The evolution of hand-held digital SLR cameras has been crucial to low-budget film making, but now the industry at large is catching on to this technology with HD DSLR being widely used on big-budget productions.

Canon 5d mkIII with 24-70 L Series Lens

Many people are hailing the use of the new breed of Canon DSLRs to shoot beautiful ‘filmic’ looking video as something akin to the second coming, due to their incredibly large sensors, amazing low-light sensitivity and affordability. But what does it mean in the grand scheme of things?

This affordability is key to this revolution, as that is exactly what it is; a revolution. We now have cameras from Canon on the market that shoot full HD 24p and 25p video, with one as cheap as sub £1,000 to the most being around £5,000-although the key players (the 7D and the 5D MKII) are available for less than £2,000.

The new 5D mkIII is available at around £3,000 with greater ISO capabilities, new headphone mic and other noteable improvements

Of course good lenses are a necessity, as are accessories, which essentially turn the terrible ergonomics of the stills camera body into something totally usable. These do add to the cost, but we are talking under £10,000 for a very capable filmmaking package using 35mm optics and depth of field similar-and in a couple of the cameras even shallower-to what 35mm digital and film cameras can currently offer. 

The price revolution has given budget filmmakers, event videographers and weekend warriors tools which can, with the necessary skill, let you create images more cinematic than we could dream of.

But now these cameras are finding their way onto big-budget TV shows and even movies. True, most of the time they are being used for B, C or even D cameras. Not the main cameras, which are still generally 35mm, F35, RED etc, but now the ability to get that extra angle without the high cost of renting a whole camera is available. And, sometimes, it’s hard to tell in an edit which camera was used for which shot.


Wednesday 4 July 2012

Photography Training : Visual Push ups.

Photography Training never ends, retraining and life learning are words most of us will be familiar with.

From time to time I do some street photography, visual pushups.

In the pursuit to become more specialised it is also possible to become somewhat stale and as time moves on and fashion dictates become dated.

Maybe last season look stayed there and this years new look is already here.



Visual pushups isn't about keeping up with trends more about some relaxed time venturing where your work maybe doesn't take you on a daily basis.

It was while out with one of my photographers last year we decided to make time to do some street photography.



I think we were maxed out with studio work at the time.

This image unfolded in front of me as I turned a corner.

Try it.


Photoshop CS6, The low down on whats coming.

Adobe Photoshop CS6, the low down on what's coming and what to expect is creating a buzz.

Below is  video from Scott Kelby and guests Bryan Hughes and Zorana Gee from the Adobe Photoshop Team when they dropped by to discuss the developments coming in Photoshop CS6.


Here is a list of the JDI changes listed they mentioned during the show

Scott Kelby and his various productions are the definitive Photoshop benchmark for being up to date and informative.




Fashion Photography and Representation

Fashion photography and representation, who is with who?

Who represents a good chunk of the world's best fashion photographers, well the following list are represented by just one.
  


A great number of these elite photographers also produce films for the same high end, high budgets clients.

This agency founded in 1992 now works on in excess of 1,000 projects per year at the highest level including both editorial and advertising .

Advertising clients include Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Benetton, Versace, Dior, Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Shiseido, Miu Miu, Estee Lauder, Bulgari, D&G, Michael Kors, Hugo Boss, Revlon, Calvin Klein, GAP, Mango, Givenchy, L’OREAL, Zara...


Editorial clients include US Vogue, French Vogue, British Vogue, Italian Vogue, L'Uomo Vogue, German Vogue, Australian Vogue, V Magazine, W Magazine, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, LOVE, Numero...

For those wanting to establish what the look being produced at this level right now simply view the examples by creative.


Mood Boards, creating the look.

Mood boards are an essential tool to help the creative team create the look.

Preparation before each shoot is key, most of the time clients I work with are after a very specific look.

Below is an example of the look one recording artist was after for her new promotion material.

Jason Harry photographer mood board example 1

When "the" email comes through it's always exciting to find out what's the look, how creative and demanding is the client.

This look is circulated to the rest of the team, Hair and the Make Up Artist (MUA)

Sometime the "look" is agreed by phone, it doesn't matter how its done, this is the base for the whole shoot, styling, backdrops, lighting, creating the look.

Finally it's over to the photographer to deliver on the above.

YouTube V's Vimeo: Which Video site is best for business?

YouTube V's Vimeo which video site do you choose if you’re interested in exposing your business or brand to a potentially huge audience, then you’ll want to have a presence on video-hosting websites like YouTube and Vimeo.


But which of these sites is best for your business? The answer depends on a number of factors, including the type of videos you produce, your target audience, and of course, your budget.
This article weighs the pros and cons of two of the most respected options to help you decide which video hosting platform is best for your business.

YouTube: Pros

YouTube Pros

With an estimated 450 million unique, monthly visitors worldwide, it’s almost impossible not to consider YouTube for your video-marketing campaign. This type of popularity makes YouTube one of the most visited sites on the web, and certainly the number one video hosting site in terms of traffic. YouTube has the added distinction of being owned by Google, so it probably doesn’t hurt to have video content that’s indexed by the world’s largest search engine. In other words, you’ll likely increase the odds of your video being seen if you host it on YouTube.

You can set up a YouTube account for free, and customize its look and feel to reflect your existing company brand. You can also upload an unlimited number of YouTube videos to your account. These points may be important considerations if you are concerned about budget, flexibility, and ease of use.

YouTube offers a number of advertising opportunities for your business, including display ads, in-video ads, and even promoted videos. You can pay to have your ads or videos appear when people use specific keywords to search for videos. Given the sheer volume of people visiting


YouTube on a daily basis, a strategically crafted ad campaign on YouTube can reap excellent results. Check out YouTube’s advertiser’s guide for more information about your advertising options.

YouTube: Cons

YouTube Cons

Precisely because of its popularity, the subject matter of YouTube videos run the gamut from high-definition masterpieces to low-end filler. Sometimes it can be hard for a viewer to find the diamonds in the rough. Any potential customer trying to find your video on YouTube will be inundated with video distractions — often of a very unprofessional nature.

While you are clearly not responsible for anyone else’s content, your audience may have to steer through a lot of clutter in order to see your message on YouTube.

Advertising may also be considered a negative attribute for YouTube. There’s always the potential for a competitor to advertise its own products and services within your videos or to display its ads when a customer is searching for you. Because advertising appears in every video on YouTube (to support the free application), customers may be distracted by these ads when they’re viewing your business videos.

Although YouTube offers a built-in analytics tool called Insight, some have suggested that the analytics data is too basic, or provides more of an executive summary than actionable data. On the other hand, others have suggested that the interface for Insight is cumbersome and difficult to use. Of course, in order to make a fair judgment, you should compare the analytics capabilities of YouTube with other video-hosting sites.

Vimeo: Pros

Vimeo Pros

Vimeo bases its impressive reputation on quality and customization. For example, with a paid, “Pro” account, Vimeo offers what it calls “2-pass encoding.”According to Vimeo, this process makes videos much cleaner, requiring less bandwidth to view.

Priority uploading, also offered with Vimeo Pro, means that you can skip the queue and upload your business videos ahead of other unpaid accounts. This may be important to your business if you have timely videos which need to be uploaded without any delays.

Vimeo also offers “complete customization” of its video player, allowing you to embed your logo and branding into the player itself. This differs significantly from YouTube, where videos always carry the YouTube logo (potentially diluting your brand). In addition, we believe the analytics package offered by the Vimeo Pro account is superior to YouTube’s Insight application.

The Vimeo community is also a marketing aspect that Vimeo uses to promote its service. Paid-account holders can choose to disable in-video advertising in order to focus on the content of the videos they’re watching. Members can create their own channels, start groups, and organize all of their videos into different albums. In general, this makes for a much more engaged audience than on other video-hosting sites.

Vimeo: Cons

Vimeo Cons

At just under 17 million unique, monthly visitors worldwide, Vimeo has significantly less traffic, and is less well known than YouTube. With less overall traffic to the site, your business videos may see fewer views on a platform like Vimeo

Videos with higher views, hosted on sites with higher traffic, tend to be treated more favorably by search engines. It’s possible that videos hosted on Vimeo will appear lower in search engine results when compared with similar videos hosted on a more popular platform.
Some of Vimeo’s best features are available only with a premium, paid account. In fact, Vimeo’s Terms of Service document states that if you intend to host commercial videos promoting your product or service, then you must purchase a Vimeo Pro account.

Pro accounts also come with restrictions. With a Pro account you are limited to a maximum of 50 GB of upload space per year, with a cap of 5 GB per uploaded video. Video views are also capped at 250,000.

If you want to upload additional videos or allow additional views beyond the specified caps, you have to purchase upgrades from the Vimeo “Store.” If budget is a concern for your video marketing campaign, you’ll have to pay close attention to the fine print with Vimeo.

Which is Best?

Which Platform is Best

Online video has become synonymous with YouTube. Its size and high profile make it an obvious consideration for hosting your business videos — and of course, it’s free. On the other hand, Vimeo has built its reputation on providing a professional platform with advanced features and a more engaged audience.

When choosing the best platform to host your business videos, consider the goal of your campaign (views vs. engagement), your budget, and your brand itself. YouTube may be more suitable if high volume and high exposure are key considerations for your videos. If brand reputation and detailed analytics are more important, then Vimeo may be the better choice. In either case, your business will benefit from being part of the vastly popular, online video movement.


I use YouTube and cannot see me ever switching to "the other side".